Going Too Far
by Can't Decide a Pen Name
Summary: Even the most heartless of souls can go too far...
1. Chapter 1

Dastardos floated about in the twisted tree, listening to the rain drip onto the rotting bark. Some water seeped through, but not much. Nothing was going on, and Pinata's weren't getting sick, and when they did, Patch would beat him there.

_That stupid doctor... _He said, gritting his crooked teeth. He looked over at Magnar, who let out a small yawn as he stretched his little legs out. His eyes opened from his nap, and he looked up at Dastardos with wide green eyes.

"Stardos...?" He squeaked. Dastardos's irritated face softened at the little Macaraccoon.

"Yes Magnar?"

"I'm hungry..." He said sleepily. Dastardos let out an sigh.

"I will feed you, don't worry..." He whispered, looking outside his house. The rain was heavy, and nothing, not even a single wild pinata, was in sight. All the pinata's in Dustin's garden were inside, not a single one frolicking in the heavy downpour. He sighed in annoyance. How come nothing was getting sick in such weather?

And at just that moment, his Alert System went off.

Dastardos turned around and floated over to it, taking a look at it. He smirked.

_Finally... A pinata is sick..._ He thought to himself, before frowning at where the location was. Dastardos growled.

_I can't believe it's in her garden... The clinic isn't too far away I'm going to have to move quickly..._ He thought as he left, giving Magnar a quick scratch on the ear before floating out into the rain.

* * *

><p>Thunder boomed across the sky outside, and it was keeping her awake.<p>

Maddie Builder laid awake in her bed. Her eye's were tired, but the rest of her felt as if it had just woken up. She gripped her tattered quilt, trying to force her eyes closed, but they would snap open at the sound of the thunder, or at the flash of lightning. After about the third time it had happened, she groaned loudly and forced herself up, her greyish-blue hair falling in front of her face.

_I might as well get some work done if I can't sleep..._ She thought to herself as she got out of the small bed.

She tip-toed down the stairs softly, looking back every now and then to make sure her parents weren't awake. Her arms crossed and she shivered, the tank-top she was wearing not giving her much protection form the cold in her house. She made it to the bottom of the stairs, and she wondered over to the closet, pulling out her rain boots. She slipped them on carefully, grabbing her raincoat as she drifted to the back door. She looked outside, examining the heavy rainfall. She sighed.

_It could be worse..._ She thought as more lightning crashed in the distance. She ignored it and went on out, pulling the hood of her raincoat over her head. She walked out into her garden, hearing the faint snoring of pinata's through the rain. Her eyes squinted a bit as she walked out, trying to see a little better. It wasn't long before she tripped, her face falling into the mud.

Maddie sat up on her knees, spitting the soaked dirt out of her mouth. She turned around to see what she had tripped over, and her eyes widened.

There was a sick Macaraccoon on it's side, breathing heavily. It was a sick green color, and it's eyes were glazing over. Maddie placed her hand over it, her eyes darting around.

_Oh shit... How long has he been here?_ She thought to herself. She took a deep breath. Her alert system was inside just on the table, and Patch wasn't too far away. Hopefully she could call the doctor before he showed up. Nothing to worry about, she thought to herself.

That was until she heard the singing.

"No..." She hissed, turning around. The singing was faint, but he wasn't terribly far away. She only had seconds to do this.

Leaving the dying Macaraccoon for only a few seconds, she darted to the house, frustrated with the fact that her boots kept getting stuck in the mud. She finally kicked them off and darted to the back door, racing to her alert system. It didn't have much power in it, but she had just enough to send Patch the alert. She raced back out of the house, grabbing her new improved shovel that was propped up next to the back door.

Dastardos hummed his melody, his whacking stick in his hand. His eyes traced the outline of a sick pinata, a Macaraccoon in fact. As much as he loved Macaraccoons, this had to be done. Besides, Magnar had to be fed.

He continued to float over, the Macaracoon becoming much clearer in the rain, but he noticed something else right away.

"Maddie Builder." He hissed. He looked before him, a glare in his eyes. Maddie stood over the Macaraccoon, a shovel in her hand. Her raincoat looked much too big on her, and her hair was soaked and was stuck to her mud-smeared face. Her brows were knitted together in anger, and her blue eyes were blazing.

"Get out of here Dastardos. Patch is already on his way!" Maddie hissed. Dastardos smirked.

"You forgot your mask I see." He said.

"I didn't have time to grab it before your slimy ass floated it's way here." Maddie growled, her hands trembling to swing out and smack the floating freak. Dastardos gave out a laugh, his silver hair smoothing out from the rain. He raised his whacking stick and started to float even closer.

"Look, I don't have time for this." He said. Maddie swung the shovel out, and smacked Dastardos clear across his face. Dastardos flew back slightly, his cheek throbbing with pain. He glared at the smirking girl.

"I guess you didn't see my new shovel head." She sneered. Dastardos glared over at her, whipping his mouth with his sleeve. She was smirking, and then he saw it himself.

The 'shovel'.

"You finally could afford one with your mom's ridiculous prices?" He hissed, facing to her again. Maddie shrugged.

"I have my ways." Dastardos glared at her still, his scarf giving off a hiss. He gripped his whacking stick tighter. He had to get that life candy.

"Move over Builder, and I won't hurt you." He said in a low tone, floating over again. Maddie brought up her shovel, as if daring him to come closer. Dastardos stopped, gritting his teeth. He didn't like to feel pain, and he certainly didn't like it when it came from his enemy.

"What? Are you _scared_?" Maddie challenged. Dastardos was fuming and he darted forward, drifting aside, just missing the shovel. His glare hadn't ceased the whole time, and neither had hers.

_I can't get close... Not with that shovel in her hands..._ Dastardos thought to himself, raising his whacking stick back up. Maddie rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on, your not going to get within two feet of this thing without- OOF!" Maddie called out as Dastardos knocked her over. He loomed over her, a nasty look on his face as the lightning lit it up.

"Listen, I do not have time for you right now. I'm going to take care of that little pinata and be on my way." He said. He started his way over to the Macaraccoon, who was mewing pitifully as it's soaked stubby legs twitched from the cold. He was ready to put the thing out of it's misery when he was knocked over. Maddie stood there, her shovel in her hand, half her body coated with mud.

"I'm not letting you kill him!" She shouted. Dastardos staggered a bit, seeing stars. It only lasted a second before his vision returned. He looked up, seeing faint blue and red lights. Patch was almost there. Dastardos growled.

_I'm not letting that pesky doctor beat me again! _He thought angrily, _And with that shovel, that bitch won't let me get anywhere near the pinata!_ His hands found a rock on the ground, and an idea sprouted in his head.

"You want to play dirty Builder?" He said, lifting off the ground, the large stone in his ghostly hand, "Then we'll play dirty." Before Maddie could have even reacted, Dastardos quickly darted around to her back, and bashed her over the head with every ounce of strength he had.

* * *

><p>Patch tried to keep his eyes open as he drove. This was no time to sleep. He could see two shadowy figures in the distance, and he stepped on it harder, the red and blue lights showing him the way. As he got closer, he could make out the figure of Maddie, as well as the figure of <em>him.<em>

_Oh no..._ Patch thought in his head. He jumped out of his car, his medical kit in his hand. He was right there, so close-

But the pinata was already gone.

"It's been a while since I had gotten a piece of Life candy..." Dastardos cooed, smiling evilly at the doctor with the Macaraccoon patterned candy in his hands. Maddie was lying on the ground, face down in the mud. Patch glared at his enemy, his teeth gritting.

"What did you _do?_" Patch said, not a studder in his words. Dastardos was floating backwards out of the garden, the rain making it look as if he was fading away.

"I told her to stay out of my way..." Was the last thing he said before he was gone. Patch glared out, then leaned over to Maddie.

"M-Maddie? Maddie, a-are you- Oh dear..."


	2. Chapter 2

Willy and Lottie slept soundly in the bed. Well, almost.

Willy was snoring loudly, keeping Lottie awake. The woman never slept much as it was, but it still bothered her. She was upright in her bed, thinking about her shop. Not much people had been in there the past couple of days, and it was driving her up the wall. How was she going to make money if no one was going to buy anything?

But that wasn't the only thing that was on her mind.

The woman couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Something very wrong indeed. Her gut was telling her she needed to get up and take a look around, but her legs wouldn't let her move. Was something wrong? Was it her imagination?

Her questions ceased when her alert system vibrated next to her.

"Hello?" She said, despite the fact that Willy was sound asleep. There was silence over the phone.

"Hello?" She repeated. Finally someone spoke.

"L-Lottie?" Patch's voice sounded over the phone. Lottie turned the lamp on next to her bed.

"Patch sweetie! Just how ARE you tonight?"

"U-Uh I'm f-fine. B-But-"

"That's FABULOUS! I am having SUCH a hard time sleeping, since ol' WILLY here won't stop SNORING-"

"L-Lottie please! Let me sp-speak!"

"... Okay... Is everything alright?" Lottie asked, her legs falling over off the bed as she sat up. Willy's eyes opened up slightly, but he said nothing yet.

"Y-You and W-Willy need to c-c-come to the C-Clinic r-right away!" Lottie's eyes widened a bit.

"Why?"

"I-I have Maddie here, a-and... Y-you should come..." Patch's voice said sympathetically. Lottie nudged Willy, and she held the Alert System to her face.

"Maddie's still in bed."

"N-No she wasn't..."

"But I-"

"P-Please, I w-will explain w-when you get h-here..." Patch said, hanging up. Lottie help the system to her cheek, not saying anything. Patch never hangs up like that, and he has never sounded so upset. Willy was sitting up, still half asleep.

"What's wrong?" He yawned. Lottie put her alert system down and looked over at Willy.

"We have to get to the clinic." Lottie said, jumping off the bed and racing downstairs. Willy didn't get up right away.

"DO WE HAVE TO?" He called.

"YES! OUR DAUGHTER IS IN THERE!" Lottie shrieked from downstairs. Willy's eyes widened.

"MADDIE?"

"WHO ELSE CLUCKLEHEAD?"

"HOLY FLAPYAK!" Willy screamed, flying off the bed.

* * *

><p>Patch tapped his pencil on the counter impatiently. She had been awake for half an hour now. He tested her over and over. There was no doubt about it.<p>

"Patch?" Maddie said. She was looking straight ahead, but not at him. Patch turned to her slowly. Her hair still had streaks of mud in it, and he tried his best to wash it out in the sinks. Dried tears stained her face, and she had a thick blanket around her to keep her warm. A tear slide down her face, and he wasn't sure if she was aware of it. Patch bit his lip at the sight. Maddie hasn't cried since Stardos went missing.

"Yes Maddie?" He said softly. Maddie gripped her soaked pajama pants.

"Are... Are they coming?" She asked, trying not to sound all choked up. Patch nodded, not that it was any use.

"Y-Yes... Th-they are on the w-way..." He said nervously. Maddie nodded slowly, not releasing her grip on her pajamas. She bit her lower lip, trying not to let tears fall from her eyes. Patch sighed softly and he walked over, sitting next to the girl. He put his arm around her, trying to calm her a bit. She didn't like it, and tried to pull herself away.

"M-Maddie-"

"Please don't... I don't want sympathy." She said, her voice cracking. Patch's face fell even more when her lower lip quivered a bit.

_Why can't I do anything about this? What kind of doctor am I?_

"MADDIE!" Lottie screamed as she barged on through the door with Willy close behind. Patch shot up from his seat, and Maddie looked over slightly, but not at her parents.

"Mom?" She called out. Willy looked at Patch angrily.

"What's wrong? Is she alright?" He questioned.

"Why isn't she LOOKING over here?" Lottie asked, trying to walk over there, but the doctor stuck his arm out.

"Th-there is s-something I have t-to t-t-tell you..." He said in a low, sad voice. Lottie and Willy leaned in, and he began to speak.

* * *

><p>"Stardos, your back!" Magnar squeaked, hopping up and down excitedly on the tattered couch. Dastardos floated on in, a warm smile on his face at the little pinata. He leaned down, holding out the life candy in his ghostly hand. Magnar squeaked happily, hopping off the couch and to Dastardos's hand, where he snatched the life candy right out. He tore the wrapper and ate the candy quickly, looking up at Dastardos afterward. Dastardos scratched the little guy behind his papery ears.<p>

_You have no idea about the things I have to do for you..._ He thought to himself as Magnar purred at his touch.

* * *

><p>Lottie and Willy stood there, dumbfounded. Lottie had tears in her eyes.<p>

"No..." She said. Patch tried not to bite his lip. He nodded.

"I-I'm sorry... B-but... Maddie is..." Lottie took a deep breath, taking in the news, and Willy shook his head.

"There's no way... She can't be blind!"


	3. Chapter 3

"I-I am so sorry... I-I've tried everything..." Patch said, his heart sinking. Maddie heard it all. She looked around, and saw nothing. She could see the shadows, but nothing else. It was all white.

_That asshole... I can't believe this..._ She thought. She didn't know what else to say. She couldn't see anymore.

"How is she blind? How can getting hit in the head with a rock make someone blind?" Willy demanded to know. Maddie frowned even more. Her dad was never upset, not about anything. He was acting different.

All just for her, and she hated it.

She heard footsteps, from Patch she believe. More footsteps fallowed, which were probably her parents.

No one else was really there.

"Th-These are h-her x-rays... Y-you see the f-fractures o-on her sk-skull here?" Patch was saying. Maddie covered her ears. She didn't want to hear it again. She felt the blanket slip off her shoulders and land on the floor, exposing her shoulders to the cold. She bit her lip, trying to keep herself from crying.

"NO! She just CAN'T be blind! How can three little cracks do SO much DAMAGE?" Maddie inhaled sharply, trying not to scream.

"W-well, the p-part of h-her brain that enables h-her t-to s-see-"

"GOD WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP?" Maddie screamed out of no where. Patch and her parents stopped their talking. Now only the sound of the rain pelting down on the windows was heard. Maddie grit her teeth together.

"I don't want to hear this twice." She said. She got up from her seat slowly, her hands tracing the walls as she guided herself to the what she hoped was the exit.

"Maddie, you CAN'T just leave!" her mother said, giving her the clue she was going the right way. Maddie ignored her, feeling along the walls for the door. She eventually felt a crease.

"Watch me." She muttered as she found the handle, opening the door.

"Maddie! MADDIE!" Willy shouted, fallowing his blinded daughter out. Lottie turned angrily to Patch.

"What kind of doctor are you anyway? You should be QUALIFIED enough to fix her!" The middle-aged woman snapped, stomping out after her husband. Patch sat down at the desk, letting a tear fall.

She was right. But what else can he do?

* * *

><p>She laid in her bed the next morning, her eyes stained. She hadn't slept at all that night. Patch said that would probably pull her into a coma or something, but it didn't matter. She couldn't sleep, knowing her life was ruined.<p>

_And it's all because..._ Maddie sighed, not even bothering to finish her thought. She knew very well who's fault it was. But there wasn't anything she could do about it.

_"Th-There is a s-s-slight p-possibility th-that this c-c-could be t-temporary..." _Patch's words rang in her head. Her parents didn't get to hear that part, since she ran out of the clinic after she found the door.

_But it isn't likely..._She thought, frowning.

"Maddie? Your still awake, right?" Willy's voice said through the door. Maddie sighed, sitting up in the bed.

"Yeah, I am." She responded. She heard her door creak open.

"Um, listen, Sweetheart... You mother is... going to be taking you to the store with her today... Alright?" He said. Maddie's head snapped up.

"What? Why?"

"Well, uh... Look, there's no easy way to say this, but-"

"It's because I can't see, isn't it? I won't be able to handle the tools or anything? Is that right?" She said angrily, grabbing her quilt and throwing it over the other side of the bed. Willy winced, not really sure what to say.

"... Have a good day Maddie!" He said, and Maddie heard her door click shut. Maddie felt tears coming on, but she refused to let them fall. She hated the store, she hated it so much. But it wasn't like she could use build. She couldn't use the power tools anymore. She can't help her dad anymore.

Maddie shook her head, sliding off her bed. She stood there a moment before placing her hands on the dress beside her bed, letting it guide her across the room to her closet. Her fingers traced along the door, trying to find the handle when her door swung open.

"No no no let ME get that for you Maddie!" Lottie's voice called out. She was gently pushed aside as her mother prowled through her closet.

* * *

><p>"I can dress myself just fine." Maddie growled as her mom held a tight grip on her forearm, guiding her through the village. Lord, she never felt so embarrassed to have her mother walk her around. Hopefully they would just think she got into some kind of trouble again.<p>

"Nonsense Maddie! I KNOW you can, but I just wanted to help because..."

"Of my condition?"

"Yes!" Lottie said happily. Maddie's face turned into a scowl. She hated having people help her, especially if it was out of pity.

"MADDIE!" A loud voice called. Maddie shut her eyes, not that it would be any use. She knew that voice from anywhere.

"Not now Dustin, we HAVE to get to the store!" Lottie said. Maddie felt herself slightly brush against Dustin's shirt.

"Oh come on, I need to ask Maddie something! It's really important!" Dustin asked. Maddie groaned, feeling her mom turn her around. What could he possibly want right now?

"Okay, how do these look on me?" He asked. Maddie bit her lower lip.

"What looks good on you?" She asked stupidly. Dustin hesitated.

"The skinny jeans! I just got them yesterday! Don't they look better on me then he-who-shall-not-be-named?" Dustin asked. Maddie took a deep breath.

"Your wearing skinny jeans? Seriously?"

"Yes, and they are squeezing me in places that I shouldn't say out loud."

"... You look stupid." Maddie responded. She may not have been able to see them, but she knew for a fact that he would look awful in them.

Dustin gave his friend a weird look. She wasn't even looking right at him. Her eyes were focused over his shoulder. He turned around too see what she was looking at, but saw nothing.

"What are you looking at?" He asked. Maddie's head tilted over a bit.

"What do you mean?"

"You not even looking at me! God, do I just look THAT bad?" Dustin exaggerated. He knew he did NOT look bad! As uncomfortable as the pants were, they hugged his legs well! Or at least, that's what he thought.

"Dustin, sweetie, Maddie here can't-"

"Wait to get to the store! Let's go mom!" Maddie said quickly, turning around. Lottie's face looked a little surprised, but she gave Dustin a sad look and walked off. Dustin's hand came up and he scratched the back of his head in confusion. What was their problem anyway?

"Oh. My. God." A familiar voice said from behind. Dustin turned around, and scowled at his enemy.

"Hello... Lizard." He said, his voice full of scorn. Eddie made a disgusted look at Dustin's pants. They did not look right on the blonde boy at all. The cuffs at the bottom didn't even reach to his ankles, and the denim looked as if it were suffocating his legs. Some of the seams even looked as if they were going to burst any second now.

"Do those even fit?" He asked. Dustin gave him a tight nod.

"Yes they do. They are just my size." He said, his voice taut. Eddie put a fist over his mouth, trying not to laugh.

"Then they wouldn't ride up and squeeze you like that." He said. Dustin rolled his eyes.

"Your just jealous at how fabulous I look," Dustin said, stretching his legs out a little, "Hey, where are you going anyway?" Eddie raised an eyebrow.

"What does it matter to you?" He said, continuing his walk. Dustin watched him walk away.

"... IS IT TO SEE SEIKO AGAIN? SHE'S STILL AVOIDING YOU ISN'T SHE?" The blonde boy yelled out. Eddie didn't say anything back.

"I knew it..." Dustin said, walking away stiffly, "God damn, how does he walk in THESE?"

* * *

><p>"Hello, how are YOU today? Bright eyed, bushy-tailed and ready to SPEND?" Lottie asked as another costumer walked in. Maddie wasn't sure who it was, and frankly, she could care less. It's not like they would notice her anyway.<p>

"Hi Lottie. I heard Maddie was here?" Seiko's voice said. Maddie's head lifted slightly, but not much.

"Oh yeah, she's in the third isle over there." Her mom's voice said, a hint of disappointment woven inside of it. Maddie didn't move, hearing light footsteps walk over to her.

"There you are! I heard you were at the clinic last night! What happened?" Her voice sounded worried. Maddie stiffened. How could Seiko know that? Did Patch tell her?

"I went to the workshop this morning to say hi, but Willy said you weren't there,"

"Then-"

"When I asked him why, he said that you were here because of an accident-"

"And said something about the clinic. Look I'm fine. Do you need something?" Maddie asked impatiently, placing her hand into one of the seed bins. Her fingers traced around one, trying to tell what it was. She let out an "ouch" when the tip of her finger was pricked, drawing a small dot of blood.

"I just wanted to see what you were doing... What are you doing with the snapdragon seeds?" Snapdragon seeds. That's what they were.

"My mom told me some other seeds got thrown in here, so I'm organizing," Maddie said, taking her hand out, "What made you want to visit me all of a sudden?" She heard a slight shuffle of her friend's feet.

"No reason."

"Flapyak shit. Eddie was coming again, wasn't he?" There was hesitation.

"What would Eddie have to do with it?"

"Please. You have avoided him since my slumber party, and he has been trying to talk to you but your too damn embarrassed to confront him so you leave your garden and come to me for a while." Maddie snapped. She turned to Seiko after she said it, giving her a stern look.

"... I don't do that. Why are you looking at the watering cans?" Seiko asked. Maddie's face flushed a bit, and she turned her head the opposite way.

"No reason. Listen, Seiko, I'm not going to be your escape whenever your too scared to face something, okay?"

"I'm not using you as an escape!"

"You sorta are." Maddie said, her fingers tracing along another bin.

"Seriously, is something going on?" Seiko asked. Maddie stopped moving her fingers.

"No." She replied. She heard Seiko's foot tapping impatiently.

"Then why won't you look at me?" Her voice said, sounding a bit hurt. Maddie exhaled deeply. Her head turned a little more, not even sure if she was looking at Seiko or not.

"... You wouldn't understand."


	4. Chapter 4

Dastardos's eyes opened slowly as a small ray from the sun shown through one of the cracks, right onto his bad eye. He sat up slowly, not hearing the slightest bit of rain like he did last night.

_Thank God... _He thought to himself. He floated off the couch, looking over at Magnar, who was sound asleep in a small pile of leaves. He was snoring softly, and a single leaf swept out from the pile as he exhaled. Dastardos couldn't help but smile a bit as the little Macaraccoon slept. He floated over to his Alert system, seeing how many appointments he had. Only a few, but enough to keep him busy. He picked up his whacking stick, and stared at it a moment. The side of it was grazed a bit from last night, from the stand off against the Builder girl. His face didn't show any expression when his mind had a quick flash back to when he hit her in the head with that rock. She had fallen quickly, and didn't move.

"She's probably dead." He muttered, floating out of his home.

* * *

><p>"Maddie, you can talk to me." Seiko said sadly, looking at her friend. She didn't say anything, and kept tracing her fingers along the seed bins.<p>

"So are you going to buy anything, or are you going to loiter here all day?" Maddie said quite loudly. Seiko blinked, giving her a weird look.

"Maddie, what are you-"

"Is there a PROBLEM over here?" Lottie's voice said as she started to walk down the isle. Seiko turned around to speak, but Maddie spoke up first.

"I'm trying to work mom, that's all."

"I Seiko DISTRACTING you or something?"

"Yeah." Maddie replied. Seiko looked at her, a surprised look on her face. Lottie put her hands on her hips.

"Listen Seiko, Maddie is trying to help out around her, and I REALLY need some things done, so can you wait to talk with her AFTER hours?" The older woman said, a mix of friendly and irritated tones in her voice. Seiko looked back and forth between the two.

"Fine. I'll be back later then." She said, walking around Lottie and opening the store door. She didn't bother looking back, sighing irritably at what had happened. Something was wrong with Maddie, and she was going to have to find out what.

Maddie stood there motionless after hearing Seiko leave. A few strands of hair fell in front of her face, and she didn't bother to move them.

_God, does she always have to pry stuff out of me? _Maddie thought to herself, almost saying it out loud. She heard her mom groan.

"If she wasn't going to buy anything, why would she come in here?" She muttered, "Maddie dear, what are you doing anyway?"

"Just... Stuff..."

"Do you need ANYTHING? Anything at all? Maybe you should let me sort those out-"

"Mom I'm fine! Go back to the front!" Maddie snapped. Lottie took a step back, surprised from her daughter's sudden outburst.

"Um... Okay... Yell if you NEED something!" Her mom said in her shopkeeper tone. She scurried away, leaving Maddie by herself. Maddie stood there, her fingers twitching a bit. She let them drop to her sides, her blind eyes sad. She shook her head.

_Oh come on you wimp! So what if your blind? It's not like anything is too different then before!_

* * *

><p>"Seiko, I really am sorry about what had happened. I know everything you said was never meant for me to hear, and I am deeply sorry that I... No that doesn't sound right!" Eddie growled, tossing the hand mirror back onto his desk. He ran his fingers through his violet hair in frustration.<p>

_God, why can't I think of the right thing to say? These things always come easily for me..._ Eddie thought to himself, not that it mattered how much he practiced. She was still avoiding him, no matter what. Every time he went to her garden, she wasn't there, or she wouldn't let him in. When he saw her around the village, she would turn and run the other way before he could even utter one word.

Man, women could be complicated.

"So... Still trying to talk to Seiko then, huh?" A familiar voice asked. Eddie looked up and saw Maxime standing in the doorway to his office, her arms crossed. Eddie sighed.

"... Are you here to sign up for judging or are you wanting to compete?" He asked, picking up the sign-up sheet. Maxime walked over to the desk, plucking the sheet right out of his hands.

"Um... It's all full..." She said. Eddie took a look at it and sighed.

"Oh I'm terribly sorry..." He muttered, putting the sheet away. Maxime gave him a long look.

"I noticed Seiko's name wasn't on there." She stated. Eddie shrugged.

"It's a pity."

"But she always competes when you are."

"Dustin beat her to it. He's still determined to make my like miserable."

"Or she's still avoiding you." Maxime said. Eddie closed his eyes for a moment, resting his head on his hands to keep it propped up.

"Look, are you here for something?" Eddie asked. Maxime shrugged.

"Well, there aren't any spots left, so not really." She said, walking out, leaving the door open behind her.

* * *

><p>Leafos walked down the sidewalk of the village, a content smile on her face. It was another average day for her as she wondered around, helping the new gardeners on the island by giving them tips. Many of them were thankful, although some were a bit reluctant to her advice. Still, she had gotten many compliments, and was ready to go home and make dinner for her father. Her eyes drifted upward a bit, seeing Patch returning from another garden. His doctor's coat was wrinkled and stained, and he looked incredibly tired.<p>

"Hello Patch!" Leafos called out. Patch looked up from his car, dark circles under his eyes.

"H-Hi..." He muttered, locking his car. Leafos tilted her head to the side, giving the doctor a strange look.

"Patch, are you alright?" She asked, standing in front of him. Patch looked at her, exhaling sadly.

"I-It's n-n-nothing..." He stammered. He tried to walk around her, but Leafos stood in his way, a sweet smile on her face. He felt his face heat up a bit.

"Come on, you can tell me! Did _he _beat you to another pinata?" Leafos almost whispered, leaning in a little. Patch took a small step back.

"N-No... It's n-not th-that..." He said. Leafos gave off an irritated sigh.

"Then what is it?" She pressed. Patch looked over nervously, seeing Lottie guiding Maddie out of Costalot's. His face fell when he saw Maddie trying to resist Lottie's help, and the way Lottie refused to let go of her daughter's arm. Leafos fallowed Patch's eyes, looking at Lottie and Maddie as well.

"Why was Maddie at Costalot's? I thought she was always at Willy's workshop." Leafos said, her eyes going back over to Patch. Patch shook his head.

"It's n-not that L-Leafos..."

"Then tell me! What's bothering you?"

"W-W-Why are you s-so c-concerned?"

"Because I hate seeing a friend look so troubled!" Leafos said, taking a small step forward. Patch felt his face redden a little more.

_She thinks of me... As a friend?_

"Fine, if you won't tell me, then I won't pry you any further." Leafos said in defeat, weaving around Patch, her shoulder lightly brushing his. Patch turned around, watching her walk away.


	5. Chapter 5

*The next day*

* * *

><p>"Magnar~" Dastardos called, two pieces of life candy in his hand. One was from a wild Syrupent pinata, and the other a Sweettooth candy. Magnar poked his little head out from behind one of the chairs. He was trembling a little behind the chair, looking at Dastardos with fear in his eyes. Dastardos tilted his head a bit.<p>

"Magnar?"

"Ah THERE you are Dastardos! You surely took your time coming back!" A cold sounding voice sounded from behind. Dastardos turned, frowning. Pester was sitting on his couch, a smirk on his face.

"What do you want?" Dastardos asked, dropping one of the life candies in front of Magnar, who snatched it up and began to eat. Pester leaned back.

"Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Pester muttered. Dastardos crossed his arms.

"Do you need something, or are you here to waste my time?" Pester smiled at Dastardos's impatience, leaning forward in his seat. He eyed Dastardos, tapping a finger to his bulky chin.

"I just never knew how evil you were. You could almost be worse then me! And that's pretty bad!" Pester laughed. Dastardos raised a brow.

"What are you blabbing about now?"

"You blinding the Builder girl!" Pester called out, laughing at the end. Dasatrdos's eyes widened a little, but then ceased.

_So she's still alive... Wait, did he say blind?_ He thought to himself.

"Wait, how would you know about that?" He asked. Pester ceased his laughter and looked at Dastardos.

"Oh come now! I have Ruffians scattered all over this wrenched island, and they pick up some VERY interesting information," Pester said, his smirk growing, "I just never would have thought you would have done something so _devious-"_

"So what if I did?" Dastardos snapped. Pester gave him a surprised look.

"There's no need to be defensive! It's quite hilarious in fact!"

"How is a girl going blind funny?"

"How is is not? SHE'S DISABLED NOW! HAHAHA!" Pester yelled, laughing manically. He had tears coming from his eyes as he gripped his sides, falling off of the couch and onto the dirty floor. Dastardos glared at him, his stare chilling the man to the bone. Pester got up, clearing his throat.

"Anyway, you did some good work," He said, walking out, "And don't forget to come by later! There's this new plan I have been working on, and I'm going to need your help!" And with that, he was gone. Dastardos shook his head, looking over at Magnar, who finally crawled out from where he was hiding. The little Macaraccoon's eyes were widened.

"Stardos, did you mean to blind that girl?" He asked, cocking his little head to the side. Dastardos shook his head.

"Of course not. I was trying to get her out of the way." He said in a low tone of voice. Magnar puffed his little chest out.

"Well she should have! No one should be in your way!" Magnar said. Dastardos found himself chuckling to himself at the tiny pinata. He ceased his laughing, and his serious face came back. He crossed his skinny arms.

"But blinding... Hm, maybe I was a little too rough." He said to no one in particular.

* * *

><p>Patch sat at his desk, running his fingers though his bright blonde hair, while his other hand was gripped around a glass of tea. He had a opened file in front of him- Maddie's medical records in fact. She was going to be there in an hour so he could check up on her and test her again.<p>

_But is that all I can really do? What if she doesn't get better? What if I can't make her better?_He thought to himself, biting his thumbnail as he flipped though the pages again. He didn't even look up right away when he heard the door open.

"H-Hello, ca-can I h-help you?" He asked, closing the file. He looked up and jumped back in surprise, his tea spilling onto the floor. Leafos was standing there with her head resting on her hands, almost right in his face.

"Good morning Patch!" Leafos said in a cheerful tone. Patch blinked a couple of times, scooting back a little bit.

"H-H-Hello Leafos! Y-You st-startled m-me!" Patch stuttered, straightening his tie out. Leafos gave him a worried look.

"Patch, you always look when someone walks in. Seriously, is something wrong?" She asked. Patch sat up straight, blushing a bit.

"N-No of c-c-course not!"

"Are you sure?"

"Y-y-yes! E-Everything i-is al-alright! N-No need t-to w-w-worry! S-s-scone?" He asked, holding up a box of jam-filled scones. Leafos gave him a long look, shaking her head. She put her hand on top of the box, gently making him put it down.

"If you say so..." She said, looking at the file. The tag on it saying "Maddie M. Builder" caught her eye.

"Is there something wrong with Maddie that's bothering you?" She asked, not taking her eye off of the file. Patch's face flushed.

"N-No! Maddie's just... F-fine." Patch said, sweating a bit. Leafos reached for the file, but Patch slammed his hand on it, keeping a straight face.

"Is she really?" Leafos asked, her hand gripping it. Patch nodded, tugging it back slightly, trying to have Leafos release it. But the girl had quite a grip.

"Sh-She's j-just d-dandy! L-Let g-go!" Patch growled, trying to take the file out of Leafos's hands. Leafos tugged back, eyeing Patch.

"If it worries you that much then there... is ... something... wrong!" Leafos strained, determined to see it. Patch had both of his hands on it, refusing to let the nosy woman see it.

"N-No! Sh-she d-doesn't want a-anyone t-t-to kn-know yet!" Patch said out of no where, pulling back harder. Leafos's eyes widened.

"Then there IS something wrong with her!"

"W-Wait I d-didn't m-mean th-that!" Patch shouted as Leafos finally plucked the file from his hands. Leafos opened the file to look in, and Patch darted out from behind the desk and grabbed for it again.

"N-NO! TH-THAT'S FOR THE D-D-DOCTORS O-ONLY!" Patch screamed, snatching it out of her hands. Leafos looked at him, wide-eyed. Patch sighed, clearing his throat.

"I-I'm s-sorry I ye-yelled Leafos, but m-medical f-f-files aren't s-supposed t-to be-"

"Maddie's blind?" Leafos whispered out of no where. Patch's jaw snapped shut, and his blue eyes widening.

"O-Oh dear..." He muttered.


	6. Chapter 6

Eddie hummed to himself contently, filing some paperwork at his dads desk. His father had to go to a meeting, leaving his son in charge. Eddie had put the last of the files away as his Alert System went off. He reached over to pick it up.

"Hello, Eddie Lizard here, how may I help you?" He said cheerfully into the system. There was a long pause on the other line.

"E-Eddie?" Seiko's voice came out. Eddie smiled, sighing contently.

"Oh thank goodness, you finally responded! Listen, we really need to- Hello?" Eddie said as the other line beeped and went silent.

* * *

><p>"What are you hanging up for? You have to talk to him!" Sahari said angrily. Seiko stuffed her alert system back into her pocket, her face bright pink.<p>

"I can't! I just can't!" Seiko whined. Sahari rolled her eyes.

"JUST TALK TO HIM! He heard you confess, he might be trying to do the same!"

"OR he might be trying to tell me he's not interested in me at all!"

"Your psyching yourself out!"

"I AM NOT!"

"YOU ARE TOO, NOW LET'S GO!" Sahari shouted, shoving Seiko into the P-Factor building. Seiko's eyes widened, and she tried to run away, but Sahari kept a grip on her and kept shoving.

"What are you DOING?" Seiko shouted, still struggling.

"Making you talk to him!"

"But he's probably busy-"

"Well, he can make time!" Sahari shouted, shoving Seiko into the elevator. She got in and pressed "3", the floor where Eddie worked on.

* * *

><p>"Dang it!" Eddie muttered to himself, placing his alert system back down. She hung up on him, which was really weird. If she didn't want to talk to him, then why call him in the first place? Women certainly were troublesome.<p>

_Man, it's like I-ll never get to-_

"Why are you, like, wasting your time with her anyway?" Petula asked. Eddie jumped and turned, seeing Petula standing in the doorway. Eddie sighed.

"Do you need something Petula?" Eddie asked. Petula smirked seductively, or what she thought was seductive, and walked in, closing the door a bit.

"I just, like, wanted to see if there are any spots left, for judging or competing~" Petula answered, putting her arms behind her back, making her chest puff out a bit. Eddie inhaled sharply, not really in the mood for Petula's unnecessary flirting.

"No, there isn't any more spots. They filled up quite quickly this week. I'm terribly sorry." He said. Petula shrugged, taking a seat on the desk. Eddie pursed his lips together in annoyance.

"Your not supposed to do be up on the desks like that-"

"So, like, do you like that dirty gardener or something?" Petula asked out of no where. Eddie gave her a surprised look.

"What does that have to do with the P-Factor?"

"Nothing, I was just asking..." Petula said, playing with some of the pencils in the cup on the desk. Eddie blinked, hesitating.

"I wouldn't say Seiko's dirty-"

"So your saying you DO like her?"

"... I didn't say it quite like that..." Eddie said nervously, clearing his throat for no reason. Did he like Seiko like that? Petula looked at his face, frowning.

_I don't believe this... I saw his gorgeous face first, that dirty gardener..._

* * *

><p>"Sahari, get me the hell out of here!" Seiko shouted, trying to reach towards the elevator's buttons. Sahari swatted her hand away.<p>

"OW!" Seiko screamed loudly, clutching her stinging hand with her other one. Sahari smirked.

"Your going to talk to him wither you like it or not!" Sahari said as the elevator stopped. Sahari looked up, seeing the number "2" on the screen above.

"What the hell? I said THREE, not TWO!" Sahari shouted, pressing the "3" button repeatedly really quickly. Seiko shifted her feet as the door elevator door opened.

"Careful there, you will break it!" A cheerful voice said. Eddie's dad walked into the elevator as the door closed, politely putting Sahari's hand back down to her side. Seiko blushed, since the man looked a lot like an older version of Eddie.

"So, where are you ladies going?" Eddie's dad asked as the elevator started to move.

"Seiko's going to talk to Eddie. They have been having relationship problems." Sahari said. Seiko gave her a glare.

"Eddie and I aren't in a-"

"Oh your Seiko?" Eddie's dad asked. Seiko looked at him, her cheeks feeling a bit hot.

"Uh, yeah... I am..."

"Your the girl that always signs up for the shows! Gosh, we haven't seen you in weeks!" Eddie's dad exclaimed as the doors opened. Eddie's dad put a hand on Seiko's shoulder and guided her out, while Sahari smirked.

"I'll wait for you downstairs!" She whispered with a wink. Seiko glared as she was being escorted down the halls. Eddie's dad sighed.

"Man, Eddie has been talking about you non-stop ever since he and his friends spied on your girl's slumber party!" He said. Seiko looked up at him, her eyes curious.

"E-Eddie talks about me?"

"Yeah! I think he's been trying to talk to you for a while! Have you gotten his messages?"

_Yeah... _"No I haven't." She lied. Eddie's dad chuckled.

"Hm, you should probably check to see if your Alert System's broken then. Ah, here we are! Eddie should be just in this room!" Eddie's dad said, opening the door.

* * *

><p>"Look, you can leave now, since there isn't any spots open. Again, I am sorry." Eddie said, clearing his throat and gesturing to the door. Petula didn't take his hint, and strolled up to him, putting one hand on his hip, while the other hand stroked his cheek.<p>

"Oh come on Eddikins, you don't really like _her, _do you?" She purred, pressing herself against him. Eddie's face flushed, not by her sudden advances, but at what she was saying.

"I don't know! Really, I am awfully busy and-"

"Like, relax will you? It will be my first time too~"

"... WHAT?" Eddie shouted, squirming out of her grasp. Petula chuckled seductively, taking him right back in, much to his dismay. Her tongue has barely brushed his neck as the door opened that led into the office. Eddie's face turned bright red, and Petula looked over lazily, glared at Seiko much more then the other man.

"Oh, Eddie, I didn't see you had... a _guest_..." The man said. Eddie's face burned even more, his purple eyes darting back and forth between Seiko and his dad.

"It's SERIOUSLY not what is looks like!" Eddie said, his eyes lingering over at Seiko. Seiko brought her hands up, covering her mouth, and she ran away from the office.

"NO! Wait..." Eddie said pitifully, knowing it was useless. Petula smirked, squeezing Eddie's skinny waist even tighter. Eddie's Dad looked at him sternly, obviously not pleased.

"Edward Lizard, we need to have a _private_ talk..." He said, giving Petula a serious "get out of my office or I will call security" look.

* * *

><p>Sahari waited downstairs impatiently. Her foot tapped against the ground, her hands on her hips. She examined the room around, looking at the expensive interior. She nearly jumped at the loud *ding* from the elevator. She turned around, seeing a puffy eyed Seiko walk out.<p>

"Good God, are you alright? What happened?" She asked. Seiko stopped and looked at her.

"Eddie... He... Petula-" She cried, burying her face in her hands as she ran out the front door. Sahari stood there, dumbfounded. She glared back at the elevator as Petula came out now, a large smile on her face.

"Petula, what happened up there?" Sahari asked. Petula looked at the desert girl.

"... Like, what do you mean?"

* * *

><p>Seiko stormed out of the P-Factor, tears falling off of her face. She knew it, just knew it. She knew Eddie didn't feel the same way, and yet Sahari made her go up there.<p>

_I can't blame her though... Eddie must have thought I was a stalker or something from what I said!_ Seiko thought to herself in her mind, wiping her tears off with her gloves. Her alert system went off, snapping her out of her thoughts. Talking to anyone was the last thing she wanted to do right now, but she pulled it out of her pocket, looking at the number. She answered it.

"Hi Leafos... Slow down- no your talking to fast! What did you say? ... Maddie's what? ... She's WHAT?"


	7. Chapter 7

Maddie gripped her fathers arm as she walked into the clinic. She bit her lower lip, afraid about what she was going to hear. She had been praying all day that her blindness was only temporary. She hated going to the store with her mom. She wanted to be with her dad, and to build things instead of selling the pieces one by one.

"Don't worry Maddie, I'm sure it's only temporary!" Willy said reassuringly, a worried smile on his face. He wasn't entirely sure if it was possible that it was temporary, but he still had hope, and he wasn't going to put his pride and joy down.

_Patch is a good doctor... He can fix this no problem!_ He thought to himself as he entered the clinic. Patch was standing there, his face dulled over, holding Maddie's medical records in his hands. He looked over slowly, his hands trembling a bit.

"O-Oh, is it t-time already?" He said nervously. Maddie squinted her eyes at the nervous tone.

"Yeah, we told you we would be here! Actually we are a little late!" Willy said, laughing heartily. Maddie smiled a little at her dad's laugh. Patch nodded, tucking the folder under his arm.

""O-Of c-course! F-fallow me pl-please!" Patch said, leading Willy and Maddie to the back.

* * *

><p>Eddie's father sat there in silence, staring at his son. Eddie squirmed a bit in the colorful chair in front of his father's desk. His father had been upset with him before, but when he was silent, he knew it was bad.<p>

"Eddie..." His father finally said. Eddie winced a bit at the tone.

"Dad, I'm serious there is NOTHING going on between me and Petula-"

"Son, I know that. She's the one you complain about all the time whenever you have to walk by Paper Pets." His dad said, putting a hand up. Eddie nodded.

"Okay, but I would NEVER do that in your office! Or anywhere for that matter! I swear!"

"Eddie, I know that. But that isn't what I wanted to talk about." His father said. Eddie looked down, trying to think.

"... Are you having girl troubles son?" his father asked after a while. Eddie's head snapped up, looking at his dad.

"Why would you-"

"Eddie, I can tell you are. It has to do with that Seiko girl, doesn't it?" He asked, a small smile on his face. Eddie's face flushed a little. His father leaned back in his chair, his eyes still locked on his son.

"She's the one you keep trying to call after you and your friends went snooping, isn't she?" He asked. Eddie didn't say anything, but he nodded.

"I mean, I'm trying so hard to tell her I'm sorry, but she won't call me, and she runs away whenever I see her in town. I mean, how can I say I'm sorry if I can't even talk to her?" Eddie ranted until his dad put his hand up again, telling him to be quiet. Eddie shut his mouth.

"Son, I know it's hard right now, but she's probably still embarrassed that you heard her secrets and all that. She's afraid you will judge her."

"But why would I? I... I think I feel the same way!" Eddie blurted out. His dad gave him a confused look.

"... What?"

"Dad, I think I like Seiko back, and I can't tell her because... Because she's probably afraid that-"

"Wait, that's what this is all about? You heard Seiko say she likes you? Oh, well that changes EVERYTHING!" His father exclaimed, standing up. He opened one of the drawers to his desk and pulled out some P-Factor stationary, and placed it in front of his son with a pen. Eddie looked at him confused.

"Eddie, something similar like this happened once when I was your age. My friends and I got curious abut girls too, and went to spy on a group of girls at a slumber party as well." He explained. Eddie's eyes widened, and he leaned forward a bit.

"You did?"

"Yes, indeed. One of the girls said the same thing, saying that she loved me. God, she went on with the reasons why and even talked about how she tried to get my attention!" He went on. Eddie's eye's widened even more, if that was even possible. That was the same thing Seiko had done.

"After hearing all that, I realized that I was in love with her as well. But of course, like all peeping-toms, we all got busted, and she didn't talk to me for weeks! I thought it was because she lost interest in me, when really, that wasn't the case at all."

"Then, what was the problem?" Eddie asked, tilting his head slightly. His dad smiled.

"It turns out she was afraid I didn't feel the same way. Since she wouldn't talk to me face-to-face, I found that out another way to get her to talk to me."

"How?" Eddie asked. His father smiled, getting up out of the colorful armchair.

"I wrote her a letter, telling her my feelings and how sorry I was," His dad said, walking over next to his son, ruffling his hair. Eddie looked up at his dad.

"So what happened after you two made up?" He asked. His father's eyes seemed to glow a bit, and he had a warm smile on his face.

"I married her a few years later." He said, walking out of the office, leaving Eddie to write in peace.

* * *

><p>Seiko sniffled, holding the Alert System in her hand. Leafos had already hung up, but she was in too much shock to hang up her own system. Maddie, her best friend that has been by her for YEARS, was blind. She was blind, and she said nothing about it. Seiko shook her head, not wanting to believe it.<p>

_But it would explain the way she was acting yesterday... and why she won't look at me... No, Maddie can't be blind, how would that have happened anyway? A person can't become blind out of no where-_

"Hiya Seiko!" A cheerful voice said in front of her. Seiko looked up, seeing Dustin and his incredibly tight pants. Dustin was smiling awkwardly, his face all twisted as if he seriously had to take a crap.

"Hi... Dustin..." Seiko said, her voice a mix of sadness and confusion. Dustin's awkward smiled grew larger, as if the idiot didn't notice.

"How are you doing?"

"No..." Seiko said, her voice cracking. Dustin's smile weakened.

"Why? Are you okay?"

"It's... It's just... Maddie..."

* * *

><p>Maddie sat on the patient's bed, her blind eyes staring blankly at nothing. Patch had finished with the tests and had taken Willy to another room to discuss the results. It had already been five minutes, and they weren't back yet.<p>

_That probably isn't a good thing then..._ Maddie thought sadly. She sighed heavily, unaware that someone else was in the room with her.

Dastardos floated in front of her, staying as quiet as he could. His arms were crossed, and he had a stern look on his face. His eyes were looking at Maddie, and she was looking back, but she wasn't saying anything. Her eyes looked dull, and her face looked depressed. Dastardos's eye brows knit together underneath his creepy mask.

_I guess she really is blind. She would have noticed me by now otherwise..._He thought to himself.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIX IT?" Willy shouted loudly outside the room. Dastardos noticed Maddie winced a bit, but not much. The door knob into the room began to twist, and he darted though the walls into another room just as Willy stormed in, taking Maddie's hand. He helped her off the bed.

"Come on sweetie, we are out of here!" Willy growled angrily, yanking her out of the room. Willy shoved past Patch as he walked out, and Maddie muttered "sorry" as the left. Patch took a seat on the patient bed, angry with himself that there was nothing he could do.


	8. Chapter 8

"... She's blind?" Dustin whispered. Seiko nodded, blinking her eyes too keep tears from falling out.

"Leafos found a record at the clinic saying that. It's gotta be true." She said. Dustin put his hands on his hips, clicking his tongue.

"Well geez... I never would have thought... How did it happen?" Dustin asked, his eyes wide. Seiko shrugged.

"I don't know... But I want to talk to her..." Seiko said, forcing her legs to go towards Maddie's house.

* * *

><p>"What do you MEAN Patch can't fix her eyes?" Lottie's voice shouted from downstairs. Maddie sighed, sitting on her bed. Her legs were crossed, and she held a pillow in her lap. Lottie was screaming downstairs, clearly upset with the news. Willy was shouting things back, almost as if they were fighting. Maddie bit down on her lower lip, hard enough to draw blood. The bitter taste of it entered her mouth.<p>

"Making yourself bleed now? That isn't healthy..." A voice cooed beside her. Maddie jumped, falling off the bed with a loud thud.

"Who's there?" She screamed, standing up right away. The voice chuckled.

"Oh Maddie, I thought you would have remembered me... Maybe I hit you harder then I thought." Dastardos's voice cooed. Maddie's hands balled into fists.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed, wishing she had her shovel with her.

Then again, that shovel was part of the reason she was like this.

"A red fatass told me that you were blind, and so I decided to see for myself." He said. Maddie's eyes widened in surprised.

"How did-"

"He has a lot of Ruffians Maddie, and they hear a lot of things, and unfortunately, this is one of those things." Dastardos said, picking up a magazine beside Maddie's bed and examining it. Maddie's hands dropped down to her sides angrily, her eyes widening. Her lower lip quivered, tears fell from her eyes, and her teeth began to grit.

"Just... another one of those things?" She said hesitantly. Dastardos threw the magazine aside, looking over at her lazily.

"I guess it can't be. It's not everyday someone goes blind." He said. Maddie inhaled sharply, refusing to cry in front of the pinata reaper.

"Do you not remember how I went blind?" She asked hoarsely, her voice cracking.

"Yes, I do in fact. You wouldn't get out of my way, so I hit you over your mentally challenged head. Unfortunately, I didn't know I would have blinded you." Dastardos said, floating around the perimeter of the room. Not much has changed since he was here a few weeks back. Maddie started to shake, the tears getting harder and harder to hold back.

"So that's it then? You came here to apologize? You think that's going to fix everything, is that it?" Maddie whispered harshly. Dastardos scoffed.

"No, I don't apologize. You misunderstood me. I only said that I didn't know I would have blinded you."

"So your saying you don't feel bad about this at all?"

"It's your fault. You should have stayed out of my way instead of stepping right into it. Just because you had a shovel doesn't mean I'm going to back down and be afraid of you."

"YOU BASTARD!" Maddie shouted, picking up a book and chucking it in a random direction, a few feet away from Dastardos.

"Wow, that was closer then I thought."

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU DID TO ME?" Maddie shouted, sobbing at the same time. Dastardos sighed.

"I blinded you. I think we went over that already."

"YOU RUINED MY LIFE!" Maddie cried, dropping onto her knees. She was sobbing now, and she couldn't stop it. Dastardos looked at her, arms folded in.

"I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING! I'M A FREAK, LIKE YOU!"

"Ouch, that _really _hurts." Dastardos said sarcastically.

"GOD, YOUR AN ASS!" She screamed.

"Tell me something I don't know."

"GAH GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" Maddie shrieked, louder then her parents downstairs. Dastardos looked taken back, surprised even.

_Wow, she's louder then I thought..._

"Dastardos? Are you still there?"

"Yeah."

"GET OUT THEN!" Maddie shrieked again. Lottie and Willy had stopped shouting downstairs, and the whole house was quiet. Dastardos unfolded his arms and examined Maddie, who was gripping her chest as she sobbed.

"Why?" She managed to say. Dastardos looked at her in surprise.

"Why what?"

"Why would you do this to me in the first place? I was just trying to protect one of my pinata's." She said, her sobs starting to cease. There was a knock on her door.

"Maddie, are you okay?" Willy's voice said.

"Yes I am! Go back downstairs and argue with mom!"

"You were screaming and I wanted to make sure you were-"

"I'M FINE! GO AWAY!"

"Okay if you say so!" Willy said as his footsteps started to walk away. Dastardos rolled his eyes.

"I couldn't tell you if I could. That's my business, not yours." He hissed. Maddie's brows furrowed.

"Fine. Don't tell me then."

"Why would you be interested in that anyway? Shouldn't you still be screaming how much you hate me and want me to 'get out'?" He asked. Maddie looked at him, her blind eyes a little confused.

"... I don't hate you."


	9. Chapter 9

Dastardos looked at the Builder girl, his eyes wide. Her face was blank, her tears had dried onto her face.

"You don't hate me?" Dastardos asked in disbelief. Maddie hesitated, only shrugging.

"No, I don't." She said, not much emotion on her face. Dastardos's arms unfolded and hung down to the side, his face full of disbelief.

"How do you not hate me?"

"I don't know."

"I don't understand. Everyone on this damn island hates me."

"I just don't know."

"I fucking BLINDED you! How do you not hate someone who, like you clearly stated a minute ago, who ruined your life?"

"I just don't know." She kept repeating. Dastardos fumed.

"Maybe I did hit you harder then I thought... Did your brain come out your nose or something?"

"If it did, then I wouldn't be here talking to you, now would I?"

"Well, somethings REALLY wrong with you if you actually like me!" Dastardos said, floating a little closer, an angry expression on his face. Maddie shrugged, a small smile on your face.

"I didn't say I liked you. I only said I didn't hate you. There's a difference you know." She said smirking. Dastardos bit down on his lower lip, his scarf giving off a hiss. Maddie frowned.

"God damn, is there a Syrupent in here or something?" She asked, completely off topic. Dastardos gave her a blank look.

_Good God, are you bipolar or something?_

"Well, Patch did say that I was a little bipolar, but it's not like one of those serious cases of it. Why do you ask?" Maddie said out of the blue. Dastardos blinked, not even realizing he said that part out loud.

"You were screaming at me a minute ago, and now your acting like we are friends or something. Your not making much sense." Dastardos pointed out. Maddie rolled her eyes.

"Well, I was just saying I don't hate you. You can't hate a person, no matter how much you tell yourself." She said. Dastardos floated there a moment.

"... Who told you that?" He asked. Maddie smiled, as her mind started to drift.

_*Flashback*_

_Maddie sat there on the ground, hugging her legs in tightly. She sat underneath an apple tree, a few paces away from the playground. She was pouting, trying not to cry. Her elbows were scrapped a little, and her jeans were ripped. The 9-year-old glared angrily at the spoiled girl on the swings._

_"Like, push me higher daddy!" Petula said, smirking over at Maddie. Maddie hugged her legs in even tighter, resisting the urge to bit her lip. Her mom said that wasn't good for her._

_"Oh hey there Maddie." A voice said from behind. Maddie looked over, looking up at Jardiniero's eldest son, Stardos, standing over on the sidewalk, with a grocery bag in his hand. _

_"Hi Stardos." Maddie said, trying not to blush. Stardos tilted his head a bit, looking at her sad expression._

_"You alright?"He asked, walking over to her. Maddie pouted, and pointed at the swings. Stardos looked over and saw a frilly little girl, wearing a lacy dress and having curly hair._

_"Did she do something to you?" he asked. Maddie nodded as Stardos leaned his back against the tree._

_"I was only playing on the swings, when she came up. She told me that I was on her swing and told me to get off."_

_"And you listened?"_

_"Of course not! I told her to find her own dang swing, but then she shoved me off and sat on it before I could get up. That's where these came from." Maddie said, holding up her elbows for Stardos to see._

_"Ouch." He said. Maddie nodded._

_"Then she told me only pretty girls can swing on that swing, and then called her daddy over to push her. I hate her, I hate her so, so much!" Maddie said, crossing her tiny arms. Stardos sighed, taking a seat on the ground next to her. Maddie blushed a bit at how close he was, but tried to act as if she didn't notice._

_"You don't really hate her."_

_"I do. She's a prissy sissy!" Maddie said angrily. Stardos snorted at her words, and looked back at her._

_"Even if she is a prissy sissy, you can't hate her."_

_"Yes I can! I hate her right now!" _

_"Ah, you say that, but you don't really mean it."_

_"Yes I do! She's a really bad word that Daddy said I can't say!"_

_"Even if she is a bad word, no one can hate anyone, no matter how many times they say it. Hate isn't something that people, not even the most cold-hearted, are capable of." Stardos said, Maddie looked up at him curiously. _

_"Huh?"  
><em>

_"That's right. People often say 'I hate this', 'I hate that', 'I hate that person', and so on, but they don't mean it."_

_"Well, then why would we say we hate something, if we don't hate it?"_

_"People are weird that way Mads," Stardos said, "All you need to know is, people can't truly hate another person. You might dislike them, but you can never hate." _

_"Why not?"_

_"I guess people weren't created to hate." Ending with that, Stardos got up, grabbing his bag. He turned around, holding out a hand to Maddie. Maddie's face turned bright pink, and she took it gingerly and let him help her up._

_"And another thing, your not ugly Maddie. Don't let the prissy sissies tell you otherwise." He said with a slight chuckle. Maddie watched him walked away, a smile on her face._

_*Flashback Over*_

"Someone really special to me..." She said sadly. Dastardos eyed her carefully, somewhat curious as to what she was thinking about. He decided to shake it off.

"Whatever."

"Hey, you asked." Maddie said, standing up. Dastardos gave her a slight glare.

"Well, that's all just-"

"True?"

"No. Your just insane."

"Even if I don't hate you, it still doesn't let you off for blinding me. That really was going to far," Maddie said bitterly, "I hope whatever it was for was worth it. Now get out of my room." She said, pointing to a random spot, hoping it was the door. Dastardos glared, crossing his arms.

"I don't know what your talking about when you say you don't hate me for it."

"I already told you. A person can't hate. Now go."

"You can't go from screaming to giving me advice and expect me to understand."

"I didn't expect you to understand. Go."

"... Fine. Just so you know, your sight was nothing compared to what I needed from that pinata." Dastardos sneered. Maddie's face twisted to anger, and she grit her teeth.

"Then it must have been worth it. Now GET. THE. HELL. OUT." She screamed, just as she did before. Just like that, Dastardos was gone.

* * *

><p><em>I don't get it. I just don't. How can someone on this island not hate me? <em>Dastardos thought, shaking his head, _Why am I even dwelling on this. It isn't important. Why should I care anyway?  
><em>

Dastardos pulled out his alert system, seeing his appointments.

"I have more important things to worry about." He muttered, drifting off.

* * *

><p>Maddie stood there in her room. She was sure he was gone now. He hadn't said anything. He was gone.<p>

_I really hope it was worth it._ She thought bitterly, letting a small tear fall.


	10. Chapter 10

"Gosh, now she's TALKING to herself!" Lottie said, sitting down on the rugged couch. Willy sighed, taking a seat on his armchair. Lottie rubbed the side of her head, feeling a headache coming on.

"I'm GOING to get some aspirin." Lottie said, stumbling into the kitchen. Willy stayed in his chair, nothing on his mind really. He didn't notice that Maddie was feeling her way downstairs.

"Sorry about the screaming Dad..." She said softly. Willy looked over at her, startled a bit.

"MADDIE! Ha, you scared me there for a second!" He said laughing. Maddie smiled a bit.

"Dad... Can I talk to you about something?" Maddie asked, feeling her way to a chair. Willy leaned forward a little.

"Why of course sweetie! What do you want to talk about?"

"... Can you bring me to work with you?" Maddie asked, interlocking her fingers together. Willy had a surprised look on his face, not that Maddie could see it. He scratched his chin, grumbling to himself a little.

"Geez Maddie, as much as I love you, I don't think that's such a good idea..." Willy said. Maddie frowned.

"But I don't like working at the store! I want to build, you know, put things together to make amazing things!"

"I know but the idea of you holding a power saw worries me-"

"Please Dad! You can teach me to build, can't you? I am a Builder after all!"

"... Gosh I'll have to think about-"

"EEK THANK YOU DADDY!" Maddie shrieked, clapping happily. Willy laughed in an unsure tone, pangs of worry shooting through him as he thought about Maddie working with a bunch of power tools. God, just the thought of it-

"I'LL GET IT~" Lottie called happily, scurrying though the living room to the door. Willy was lost in his horrid thoughts that he didn't notice that the doorbell rang.

"Hello~" Lottie sang as she swung the door open. Outside, standing in the light drizzle, was Seiko. Her dark hair was dripping, and her skin was lightly misted, and her eyes were red.

"Lottie? Is Maddie there?" Seiko asked, her tone sounding a little desperate. Lottie blinked and told her to wait there a minute. She shut the door slightly and walked back inside. Seiko stood there, watching little droplets of water drip off of her hair. The door squeaked open again, and Maddie was standing in the doorway, looking quite tired, but a little happy at the same time.

"Hi Seiko! My mom said you were-" Maddie was stopped when Seiko dove forward, her arms wrapping around her friend. Maddie blinked.

"What are you doing?" Maddie asked. Seiko pulled back, keeping her hands on Maddie's shoulders.

"I-I heard about what happened!" Seiko cried, tears coming out of her face. Maddie was staring forward blankly.

"Heard what? That dad has-"

"No! L-Leafos told me that your- your- BLIND!" Seiko sobbed. Maddie's eyes widened.

"Wait, how did she find that out?"

"Sh-she said Patch told her!"

"... WHAT? HE SAID HE WOULDN'T TELL ANYONE YET! I'm going to KILL him!" Maddie growled. Seiko looked at her.

"So it's true then?"

"... Uh-"

"Quick! What color are my eyes?"

"... Depends. Are you wearing your contacts or not?"

"YOU ARE BLIND THEN!" Seiko sobbed. Maddie bit her lip, then sighed.

"W-Why wouldn't you tell me?" Seiko asked. Maddie shrugged.

"I-I don't know..." Maddie stammered. Seiko shook her.

"FLAPYAKSHIT! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME? DO YOU NOT TRUST ME OR SOMETHING?" Seiko screamed, pulling Maddie back in for another hug. Maddie gasped for air, trying to break free from her friend's powerful grasp.

"Seiko calm down! It's not that!" Maddie shouted. Seiko released Maddie again, her eyes still wet.

"Then why? Why would you keep this from me?" Seiko asked, her eyes pleading. Maddie's lips parted slightly, taking a deep breath.

"I wanted to wait... Until I knew if it was permanent or not."

"So it's temporary?" Seiko said, her voice full of hope. Maddie bit her lip.

"... Unfortunately ... no..." Maddie replied softly. Maddie braced herself for more crying and screaming, but nothing came out. Maddie stared questioningly to space.

"Seiko?"

"What happened?" Seiko whispered. Maddie scratched the back of her head.

"What?"

"How. Did. This. Happen?"

* * *

><p>Seiko stormed back down into her garden, grabbing her shovel off of the ground. She should have known. She should have known Maddie was blind. She should have known it was Dastardos who did it. She should have known it had something to do with that creepy pinata reaper. She hated him. She hated him so much, and she was going to have her revenge.<p>

"Hi Sei-"

"Not now Sprinkling!" Seiko said, putting her hand up in front of the helper as she stormed by. Sprinkling stood there, motionless for a moment, a perfectly white envelope in her hand. She quickly turned and ran after Seiko, who was ready to whack the apple trees.

"Seiko, this letter-"

"Sprinkling, later. I have to make a bunch of money so I can afford a Dastardos shovel head and beat the shit out of that asshole!"

"But-"

"WHAT?" Seiko snapped, throwing her shovel onto the ground. Sprinkling winced and held the envelope out.

"I'm sorry but this came for you EEK!" Sprinkling said, running away screaming, dropping the envelope. Seiko caught it before it hit the mud, the white paper turning damp from the drizzle outside. She tore it open, and pulled out a letter.

_Seiko Vanfloss,_

_I know it's more of a gentlemen thing for me to confront you face to face, but-_

Seiko shrieked and crumbled it up. She recognized that girly hand-writing. Seiko took a deep breath, and umcrumbled it.

_Listen, all I have been trying to say to you these past few weeks is that I truly am sorry. I mean, I know that it's not an excuse to blame Dustin for dragging me to the sleepover, because I was a bit curious too. But I know everything you said about me was something I was never supposed to hear. I never should have gone to spy on you girls, and I am sorry that you confessed all that with me hiding in the closet._

_I know you have been avoiding me a lot, and at first, I was worried it was because I hurt you that bad and that you weren't interested in me anymore. I really was flattered to hear you say all of that, and I felt stupid to have never noticed it before until now._

_You were always at the P-Factor so much, and were so willing to take time away from your gardening just to fill that one last space there. You always were so bashful whenever we talked. I thought it was cute when you would stutter to be honest._

_When you came by earlier today, I felt my heart skip a beat. I saw your face fall when you saw Petula all over me like that. I wanted to let you know that we have nothing going on between us, and that was all her right there. I do not, and I repeat, DO NOT, have a thing for Petula._

_After that, I had a talk with my father, trying to figure out what to do. I knew that you would never want to look at me again after seeing that. He gave me some wonderful advice, saying that I should write you a letter. To be honest, I don't know if your even going to read this, and I would understand if you never want to talk to me again. I went ahead and wrote this, because I just wanted to tell you-_

_That I really like you too. _

_Love,_

_Eddie Lizard._

Seiko's face turned bright pink, and she read that last line over and over. _I really like you too._

"Oh my God..." She mouthed, placing a hand on her cheek in disbelief as she continued to read the letter over and over. Peanut walked over, sniffing Seiko, and poking her in the head with his tail. Seiko stood there, not even moving at all. Her eyes read the note over and over, just before everything went black.

* * *

><p>"Stardos, your home!" Magnar cheered, running up to the pinata reaper. Dastardos smiled warmly, bringing his hands down to pick up the Macaraccoon. Magnar purred a little and snuggled into Dastardos's scarf.<p>

"You were gone for a long time!" He said, his squeaky voice muffled a bit. Dastardos sighed.

"I'm sorry Magnar. I promise that won't happen again."

"Where were you Stardos? Did you bring any candy? I'm hungry!" Magnar said with a slight pout. Dastardos smirked, fishing a piece of Newgat lif candy from his pocket and feeding it to the Macaraccoon, who accepted it happily.

"I just had to visit someone..." Was Dastardos's only reply.

* * *

><p><strong>THE END :D<strong>

**Yup, that's it! I hope you all enjoyed :D my first tragedy story and all... Yeah...**

**PLEASE REVIEW, and I will be posting my new story before you know it :3**


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